Geometers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mathematician who specializes in the study of shapes, sizes, and properties of space and their relationships to one another
2. An individual engaged in the branch of mathematics focused on the properties and relationships of points, lines, surfaces, and solids
3. A scholar in the field of geometry, examining spatial relationships and the characteristics of various geometric figures and forms

Etymology: "Geometers" is the plural of "geometer", and the singular has a more literal origin than the field it names. In ancient Greek, "geōmetrēs" was built from "gē", meaning earth or land, and "metreō", meaning to measure. A geometer was, quite literally, an earth-measurer, someone who surveyed land and laid out boundaries before the subject became a branch of abstract mathematics. The word passed into English through Late Latin "geōmetrēs" and reached Middle English as "gemeter" and "geometer". Its sense stayed close to the practical craft of measurement for a long time before scholars began using it for the study of shapes and space in the abstract.

Synonyms: mathematicians, calculators